Method of fabricating flexible display device

Abstract

A method of fabricating a flexible display device is to prevent damage due to a defective detachment of an auxiliary substrate by carrying out the detachment in a manner of irradiating lasers onto a sacrifice layer interposed between a flexible substrate and an auxiliary substrate and thereafter taking away a vacuum by injecting air into the interface between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate. The fabricating method includes providing an auxiliary substrate, forming a sacrifice layer on the auxiliary substrate, forming a flexible substrate on the auxiliary substrate with the sacrifice layer formed thereon, forming a display panel on the flexible substrate, removing the sacrifice layer interposed between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate by way of a laser irradiation, injecting air between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate removed the sacrifice layer therebetween, and detaching the auxiliary substrate from the flexible substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of fabricating a flexible display device comprising:
 providing an auxiliary substrate; 
 forming a sacrifice layer on the auxiliary substrate; 
 forming a flexible substrate on the auxiliary substrate with the sacrifice layer formed thereon; 
 forming a display panel on the flexible substrate; 
 removing the sacrifice layer interposed between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate by way of a laser irradiation; 
 injecting air between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate removed the sacrifice layer therebetween; and 
 detaching the auxiliary substrate from the flexible substrate. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary substrate is implemented as a glass substrate or a metal substrate. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the flexible substrate is formed by coating polyimide-based resin on the sacrifice layer. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the display panel is implemented as one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device or an electrophoresis display device. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising after forming the display panel on the flexible substrate:
 loading the flexible substrate onto a vacuum stage with the auxiliary substrate being turned over to face an upper side. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the sacrifice layer interposed between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate is removed by irradiating lasers onto the auxiliary substrate. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the laser irradiation and the detachment of the auxiliary substrate are carried out on the same vacuum stage. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary substrate is detached from the flexible substrate using a vacuum pad unit. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the vacuum pad unit comprises a plurality of vacuum pads and a vacuum pad plate to move the vacuum pads up and down. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air is injected through an air injector provided at the vacuum pad unit. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air injection is carried out after adsorbing and fixing an upper surface of the auxiliary substrate using the vacuum pads of the vacuum pad unit. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the detachment of the auxiliary substrate is facilitated by injecting air to change a vacuum adhesion force of the interface between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate into pressure over atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the auxiliary substrate is detached from the flexible substrate using the vacuum pad unit after a vacuum between the flexible substrate and the auxiliary substrate is taken away by the air injection. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the auxiliary substrate is detached from the flexible substrate by moving the vacuum pad unit upwardly with maintaining a horizontal state.